Headlines

The Geneva Centre for Security Studies is located in the WMO building © Edipresse

Geneva uni offers English-language 'security' degree

by Malcolm Curtis

March 12, 2010 | 11:06

Applications are being accepted until the end of April for a master’s degree course in international and European security studies offered by the University of Geneva - entirely in English. The programme - of interest to officials working for missions, international organizations and NGOs - is an academic offspring of training offered for 23 years by the Geneva Centre for Security Policy.

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Sports
	Rugby: Hermance aim to avoid Swiss cup banana skin
	March 12, 2010 \| 09:51	by Marcus Berry

Swiss rugby heads into cup format this weekend with a number of fixtures featuring sides from A and B divisions. A rusty Hermance, second in the A league, face Lausanne club Albaladajo on Saturday, while...Full story

Business
	Central bank boosts Swiss growth forecast
	March 12, 2010 \| 07:30	by Giles Broom

Switzerland’s central bank raises its economic growth outlook for the country to 1.5 percent for 2010, although the prediction remains lower than forecasts from some other financial experts. Analysts...Full story

Business
	Swisscom ordered to lower leased line prices
	March 11, 2010 \| 17:00	by Malcolm Curtis

A federal regulator orders Swisscom to roll back prices for leased lines and Ethernet services offered to other providers, with retroactive reductions ranging up to 30 percent going back to 2007. The telecom...Full story

Society
	Louisa Schibli – running The Xpat Xchange from overseas
	March 11, 2010 \| 11:12	by Marcus Berry

Louisa Schibli, boss of The Xpat Xchange, one of Switzerland's first information websites aimed at English speakers, is a familiar figure at Expat Expo. After nearly 10 years of operating the site providing...Full story

Society
	Human Rights Council targets Swiss minaret ban
	March 11, 2010 \| 09:42	by Giles Broom

A resolution put before the Geneva-based United Nations Human Rights Council by a group of African and Arab states indirectly slams Switzerland for its ban on the construction of minarets. It says Muslims...Full story

Science & Tech
	CERN to shut down accelerator within two years
	March 10, 2010 \| 17:30	by Malcolm Curtis

The Geneva-based physics research centre CERN says its Large Hadron Collider project is back on track, even while acknowledging that it will be closed for up to a year for maintenance and design improvements...Full story

Aargau takes next step towards nuclear renewal
A cantonal official from Aargau tells Swisster the authorities want to know the consequences of replacing the Beznau power station, where the existing two pressurised water reactors are likely to be decommissioned...

Full storyMarch 10, 2010 | 12:04by Giles Broom

Government pumps up campaign to end fuel waste
The Swiss federal energy department launches an awareness campaign to encourage motorists to properly pump up the tires of their vehicles. The government estimates that poorly inflated rubber on the road...

Full storyMarch 10, 2010 | 11:23by Malcolm Curtis

Single-family homes lose appeal in Swiss countryside
Single-family homes in the Swiss countryside are no longer selling as a demographic shift sees the baby boomer generation moving closer to city centres after their children leave the nest, a Credit Suisse...

Full storyMarch 10, 2010 | 09:30by Malcolm Curtis

What’s on: Snowy insanity, festivals and Irish fun
A look at what’s going on over the next few days, including a number of potentially bone-crunching events on the Swiss slopes. Those who like it tamer might prefer the gourmet fair in Weinfelden or the...

Full storyMarch 10, 2010 | 08:50by Susan Vogel-Misicka

Retailer blames job picture for dismal outlook
Swiss fashion chain Charles Voegele cancels shareholder dividends and casts itself as a victim of unemployment stemming from the economic crisis after posting a net loss for 2009, which falls short of...

Full storyMarch 9, 2010 | 12:02by Giles Broom

Northeasterly 'bise' wind prolongs Swiss winter
It seems like the winter that will never end in Switzerland, with a strong northeasterly wind compounding the subzero temperatures that have plunged much of the country into a deep chill. A weather expert...

Full storyMarch 9, 2010 | 10:03by Malcolm Curtis

Vaud venue joins in to save Polaroid photo collection
“Polaroid in peril” is an exhibition to alert public opinion to the possible dismantling of a major Polaroid photo art collection, part of which is housed at the Lausanne Elysée museum. It coincides...

Full storyMarch 9, 2010 | 09:56by Michèle Laird

Improved job figures trigger revised Swiss outlook
Economists are scrambling to decipher the latest surprising unemployment numbers for Switzerland that show a better than expected improvement in February, raising hopes for consumer spending that was expected...

Full storyMarch 8, 2010 | 16:16by Giles Bloom

Cointrin cracks down on unlicensed ski minibuses
Skiers flying into Geneva for a quick get-away to the mountains may encounter added delays during the weekend rush as chalet bus operators without a 400-franc permit are turned away from the airport. Officials...

Full storyMarch 8, 2010 | 12:05by Daniel Johnson

Discord over da Vinci design divides Locarno
Evidence that Leonardo da Vinci was almost certainly involved in building part of Locarno's Visconti Castle provokes a row between the city council, locals and the monument's owners. Locarno earmarks 1.3...

Full storyMarch 8, 2010 | 11:42by Catherine Richards

Swiss voters reject plan to reduce pensions
An overwhelming majority of Swiss citizens turn their thumbs down on a federal government plan to reduce pension benefits in coming years in a bid to bring spiralling costs under control. A coalition of...

Full storyMarch 8, 2010 | 10:46by Malcolm Curtis

Rugby: Nyon back in business after beating Zurich
Nyon haul themselves off the foot of Switzerland’s A league table on Sunday afternoon by trouncing Zurich at the Stade de Colovray. The 37-18 win appears to bear out all the off-season training undergone...

Full storyMarch 8, 2010 | 09:18by Marcus Berry

Raiffeisen poised for more growth after record year
The recession has little effect on Raiffeisen, Switzerland’s third largest banking group, which posts record results for 2009, while attracting new customers, boosting its revenues and hiring new staff....

Full storyMarch 5, 2010 | 11:16by Malcolm Curtis

AUDIO: Car converter Brabus offers an office-within-a-car
At the luxury end of the Geneva Motor Show, German company Brabus provides state-of-the-art bespoke vehicles tailored for the most demanding customer. The company's Sven Gramm gives Swisster a guided tour...

Full storyMarch 5, 2010 | 10:40by Giles Broom

Sally Mann’s innocent intimacy on show at Elysée
Sally Mann, the American photographer who rose to international fame in the 90s with pictures of her own children, does not court controversy. But by allowing us to penetrate her intimacy and discover...

Full storyMarch 5, 2010 | 09:35by Michèle Laird

Rugby: Zurich prepare Enigma code for Nyon game
Nyon welcome Zurich as the Swiss A league rugby league resumes with a single match on Sunday after winter hibernation. The home team will be looking to drag themselves off the foot of the table and rejuvenate...

Full storyMarch 5, 2010 | 09:23by Marcus Berry

British chemicals giant eyes Switzerland for new HQ
In another blow to the UK exchequer, Britain’s largest private company intends to relocate its headquarters to Switzerland for tax reasons. INEOS Group, the world’s third-largest chemicals company,...

Full storyMarch 4, 2010 | 12:07by Giles Broom

AUDIO: Green cars approach uphill climb into Swiss market
Despite the 2010 Geneva Motor Show's focus on energy saving cars, Boris Vetsch of e'mobile, the Swiss association for electric vehicles, tells Swisster's Giles Broom that the local market is proving resistent...

Full storyMarch 4, 2010 | 11:05by Giles Broom